Day 46 - The fever to cut has hit!

Well I managed to not cut last night... :) I will probably wait until Monday for day 52. If I would have just called Jas he would have wondered why I waited so long!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by muddoc

Probably the best post I have read in any thread concerning egg cutting. I finally learned this lesson this year. I have for the last three years, dropped the temps in my incubator by .5-.7 degrees per year. Well, this year it caught up with me. I have had two clutches this year that I cut at day 49, and because of the cooler temps, they were not hatching until day 62. As a result, I have lost my first ever hatchling to an umbilicus that twisted around the body and killed the baby, and have already had to tie off 3 umbilicus and leave the animals without yolk. I believe that the extended open egg time has caused uneeded stress on the hatchlings, and been the source of my problems.

As a resolution, I have increased incubator temps back 89 degrees and restrained myself to cutting eggs no earlier than day 51 now. With all of that said, as a rule of thumb, I think cutting eggs within 5-7 days of hatching is ok. I say that because hatching days are going to be determined by incubation temps.

In other words: DON'T DO IT! Practice restraint.

---

Thanks for sharing your experiences Tim!!! Clearly, it is diificult for most of us not to get the scissors out. Before I cut ANY egg, I look at the clutch and egg itself. I squeeze the side a bit -- do I feel snake in there? I look at both top and bottom -- how much has the ENTIRE circumference of the egg sunk/decreased.

I lost a couple hatchings last season to twisted umbilical. These were clutches that I cut 7-10 days early and was poking at after I cut them -- bad move!!! :mad: I believe that this is the chief concern with cutting early -- the longer the egg is open before emerging -- the greater the chance the baby will go under/through the umbilical and get into trouble. Nature put them in there nice and tight. :gj: We mess with "her madness" when we open her eggs up 7-14 days before she intended them to come out. :colbert:

Without a doubt, the Caramel Mojave clutch has been the most difficult wait this season. I had them in my 6-foot standing glass-front cooker set at 87 degrees -- at the bottom of course. I did not even open the box once until day 47 -- when I took the Press N Seal off. After doing my "eyeball egg check", I cut them on day 57 and they did not come out until 60. Lower temps require LONGER COOKING TIME!! It is true for and for snake eggs. :D

I would encourage those who think it is daring/cool/not risky to cut at pre-50 days to... RECONSIDER. ;););)

Don't do it man. Wait like everyone said, especially if you have lower temps. I incubate at 89-90, and refuse to cut until day 54 or until the first head is looking at me. If I cut earlier than that I end up worrying about them until the last one is out of the egg, and being anxious is better than being regretful or worried. If you really want to see them before day 52 or so, start cooking them at 90, or mark the lay date 5 days after they are laid, so you can start cutting on "day 47". :gj:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PythonWallace

or mark the lay date 5 days after they are laid, so you can start cutting on "day 47". :gj:

---

Thanks for that idea Jake. I might actually have to start trying that. I love ways to trick myself into doing good.

Um.... I have a confession to make. The reason for the temptation to cut... was... ME! :O Jamie literally mentioned cutting the eggs once and I went ape poo and said so let's cut em, oh let's cut one, how about ya partially cut one and see how you feel about it!?

So now I'm feeling if we're waiting as long as we will be to cut, why not just let them cook the rest of the incubation period and let it be a surprise without cutting at all? Sure it will be just slightly excruciating but maybe it's worth the wait. Good luck mebbe?!

Impatience doesn't really lead to anything anyhow...the hatchlings don't develop full color until shortly before they hatch, so if you cut early, you won't be able to tell what they are anyhow, most of the time. ^_^

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by darkangel

Um.... I have a confession to make. The reason for the temptation to cut... was... ME! :O Jamie literally mentioned cutting the eggs once and I went ape poo and said so let's cut em, oh let's cut one, how about ya partially cut one and see how you feel about it!?

So now I'm feeling if we're waiting as long as we will be to cut, why not just let them cook the rest of the incubation period and let it be a surprise without cutting at all? Sure it will be just slightly excruciating but maybe it's worth the wait. Good luck mebbe?!

---

Yeah, what she said! I generally don't cut before day 50-52 and won't on this clutch.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Emilio

Fight it too 52 Bro.

---

What he said,

Daniel